Plotting Their Math Success: A group of eighth grade students travel to East for their math class, after the discontinuation of Honors Geometry at Indian Hills

Indian Hills Middle School is discontinuing its Honors Geometry class due to the lack of eighth grade students advancing into it. This decision has left 13 eighth grade students with no alternate option to learning math other than providing their own transportation to East three days a week.

The eighth graders come to East on odd days for first hour honors geometry and return back to Indian Hills after the first hour is over. 

“I’m often a very tired person,” eighth grader Claire Webber said. “Having to be at East at 7:40 a.m. and staying till 5:20 p.m. [at Indian Hills] for cross country makes it hard for me to keep up during practice.”

Being at East and going through a whole block class period has added an extra hour onto the 8th graders’ school day, resulting in them having an eight-period school day compared to their peers’ seven-hour day.

“It can be tiring [to have] a longer school day,” eighth grader Avni Bansal said. “But I don’t mind it that much because I know [the school] is doing the best they can with scheduling.”

In previous years, a similar situation occurred involving middle school students arriving at East for their math class. But now there is only one section of eighth graders taught by only one teacher — Mr. Oettmeier — compared to the multiple sections taught by multiple teachers years before. 

“I’m lucky to have such great kids,” Oettmeier said. “I had [middle schoolers] up until six years ago, and I’m happy to have the opportunity to have them back in the high school setting again.”

Having a freshman dominated class can be a little intimidating as an eighth grader, according to Webber. But, she enjoys how Oettmeier treats the middle schoolers the same as everyone else. According to Webber, it’s nice to not be “babied”.

“It’s nice to have different ages in the class,” Oettmeier said. “The eighth graders are responsible, respectful [and] mature. When I first started [having eighth graders] I was told how strong academically they were, so I had no concerns about their abilities to succeed.”